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An interview with Bill Cassara, author of "Edgar Kennedy: Master of the Slow Burn"

Cassara's latest book is a loving tribute to one of the great comic
character actors in film, Edgar Kennedy. He recently took the time for a
exclusive interview with TCM:

TCM: Let's start with this. What motivated you to write the
book?

BC: I first became aware that Edgar Kennedy was born in Monterey County,
Ca. when I read Leonard Maltin's book on two-reeler comedies back in the
early 1980's. I was working as a Deputy Sheriff for Monterey County, so
I became very intrigued to find out exactly where he was born. I wrote
an article about Edgar for Classic Images back in 1997 and put in
everything I knew at the time, but my curiosity continued. That led to
more researching. I got lucky finding out some key events in Edgar's
school years that started to round out his life story. Finally, it was
Edgar's daughter, Colleen Deach, who encouraged me to write a book about
her dad. It finally dawned on me that if I didn't write a book about
Edgar, no one else would! For crying out loud, Edgar was a film pioneer
and was the star of his own series at RKO for 17 years, he deserved a
study and I felt a responsibility about it.

TCM: What was it about Edgar Kennedy's work that stood out for you?

BC: I love Edgar's bald, Irish Kennedy-the-Cop character for Roach
when he supported Laurel & Hardy, Our Gang and The Boy
Friends series. He was the well meaning, if not inept, neighborhood
cop, so I identified with him. Edgar's "Average Man" character was not
that far off from his Roach persona. Instead of the victimized public
servant, he was victimized in his own domestic setting. Edgar relished
playing the average Joe and it wasn't unnoticed. B.R. Crisler, a writer
for the New York Times wrote in 1936 that Edgar "created a
character as universally comprehensible as Chaplin's Little Clown and
twice as real." I concur.

TCM: Were there any stumbling blocks when you were gathering all the
information during the research of your book?

BC: The only thing worse than no leads at all is to have false leads.
That includes made up "facts" by long ago Hollywood publicity writers.
One such claim was Edgar fought heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey
for 16 rounds. They did meet in the ring, and there is a photo of it,
but it was for a movie series (The Adventures of Dare Devil Jack).
To make matters worse, Edgar's widow sometimes wrote erroneous
information (wrong dates, film titles, etc) on the back of some of the
existing photos the family had. Another example was trying to estimate
Edgar's age in any given photo. That's because Edgar was prematurely
bald and frequently wore toupees, even when away from the camera. One
photo Colleen had, depicted Edgar with a head full of hair and surrounded
by his mother and young people in front of a house. Colleen surmised it
was taken pre-film career, possibly in San Francisco. Not so. We were
able to match up the house in the photograph with Edgar's listed
residence of 1915, it was right next door to the Keystone/Mack Sennett
Studios.

TCM: As an author myself, I know how hard it is to pursue a book project
while still keeping your day job. Given your career in law enforcement,
how difficult was it to keep pace with any deadlines?

BC: When I'm at work, I dedicate myself to justice. At night, after daddy
duties, I looked forward to furthering the book project. It was sheer
pleasure for me compared to the rather grim investigations when on duty.
There are parallels to conducting an investigation and doing research for
a biography. In both situations, all leads are followed up to build a
case with supporting facts/evidence. This project took over five years
to complete, but the only deadline I had was self imposed. The last year
I learned Colleen had a terminal illness. It was a race against the
clock to get the book printed before she died. I made it by three
days.

TCM: I was moved when Kennedy's daughter stated that her father's
performance as the self-sacrificing hermit in Hitler's Madman
(1943) best represented her father's personality. Did you get any sense
from people you interviewed that Kennedy held some muted frustration that
he didn't play more drama since he was a capable dramatic actor?

BC: There was a revealing interview Edgar once gave a British film
magazine. He was aware that the public "wouldn't accept me straying too
far" from his established screen image. The proof of the pudding is that
even though Edgar could and did play interesting character roles, he
never abandoned his own short comedy series. These were the days when
being in a two-reeler was far down the ladder of prestige when compared
to being a star in features. This didn't stop columnists from writing
that Edgar was always begging to act but was denied the opportunities.
Columnists seemed to enjoy writing about Edgar's real (or made up) life's
frustrations, culminating with Edgar's inevitable Slow Burn reaction.
There are not too many of Edgar's contemporaries around anymore.
However, I had the pleasure of interviewing Doris Day, Sam White and the
Keystone Kid - Coy Watson Jr. They fully cooperated talking to me about
Edgar because of the deep respect they had working with him. Doris said,
"Everyone in the business knew he was a genius."

TCM: The tone of your book was pretty fair-minded to all his films, and
you stressed a fondness for his work with Laurel and Hardy (and
understandably so), but is there any particular film from Mr. Kennedy
that you've grown to appreciate more since finishing the book?

BC: I love Edgar's scene stealing character as John Wayne's side-kick in
In Old California, and of course love his bit with the Marx Bros.
in Duck Soup, but I can't get out of my mind the film, Hitler's
Madman. It's an effective propaganda movie based on a real incident.
Edgar plays a hermit, outside of the Czech town that is occupied by Nazi
Germany. Is he a good guy or a spy? Edgar winds up confronting the
German soldiers and all the men are taken to the town square to be shot.
Edgar sings the national song defiantly and, as he is shot, continues to
hold up an elderly man. Some of Edgar's Average Man series are
clunkers, but it was the forerunner of situation comedy families for
television. My biggest wish would be to find Across the Pacific
(1926). It is now considered a lost film. Too bad, because reviewers
singled out Edgar's dying scene.

TCM: How has the reaction been from fans, historians, and his family?

BC: Reaction from Edgar's family was one of support and appreciation.
All Colleen had was a small box of photos her mom collected over the
years. Unfortunately, there was no scrapbook or artifacts. I was quasi
accepted as a brother in the Kennedy clan. I've heard from writers, Jack
McCabe, Leonard Maltin and Richard Bann who sent me congratulations,
which is really rewarding to me. I've been getting communications from
around the world, thanks to the internet. The Brits have been most
enthusiastic. A gentleman from Wisconsin hosted a public access TV show
and aired It's Your Move. And a kind reader in Germany compared
the book to a film documentary. Wow!

TCM: Have you encountered any surprises with book signings or
interviews?

BC: When I first started my project, most people wanted to know why I
wanted to write a book on Edgar. He died in 1948 and the trail was very
cold. I was surprised when Colleen downplayed what she knew about her
dad. Well, just like any investigation, the trick is to get them to talk
and build a rapport. Colleen was soon helping to fill in the gaps by
describing the USO Tours, the family homes and the Christmas parties. My
surprise is that every person who went to the movies during 1948 and
before, instantly recognize Edgar. The baby boomers and those born
afterwards have not fully discovered him, yet.

TCM: Do you see the legacy of his work influencing any comic actors in
the years after his death? If so, how?

BC: Edgar's "mad" character was unique in that you could see his
frustration build; it registered all over his deadpanned face. His final
face wipe mannerism was like a white flag signaling defeat. It takes
time and footage to set up a slow burn, that's probably why we don't see
it anymore. The last comic actor that could just sit there motionless
and stew was Gale Gordon. A footnote to that thought; I remember once
catching a Dodger baseball game on TV. After a particularly painful
sequence of errors, the camera caught Manager Tommy Lasorda sitting in
the dugout dejected. As he took off his cap to wipe the sweat from his
brow, Dodger's broadcaster Vin Scully adlibbed, "...and Tommy does an
Edgar Kennedy S-L-O-W B-U-R-N." That was brilliant, and it underscores
that Edgar's Average Man is in all of us.

TCM: What's the next big project we can expect from you?

BC: I grew up in San Jose, Ca. and at some point in my consciousness, I
became aware that film comic Vernon Dent was also born in my hometown,
not too far away from my neighborhood. Now here is another long
forgotten screen comedian; a working stiff who deserves more research.
Vernon worked at Sennett's, supported Harry Langdon and eventually signed
up for Columbia as a stock player. It was at Columbia that Vernon did
the lion's share of acting with the Stooges. I have found out that
Vernon's grandfather was a prominent man in San Jose, with a rich family
heritage. I think I'll be writing an article about Vernon at some point.
I've also been in communication with an old pal, Phyllis Coates. She
played the first Lois Lane on TV, but was in many other serials and B
movies. I'm hoping to help her arrange her life's memoirs. In the
meantime, I'll go anywhere to public showings of old time comedies. I
like to hear the audience laugh. In the meantime, here's hoping that
some day TCM does a tribute to Edgar. My website is www.edgarkennedy.org

Bill Cassara's latest book is a loving tribute to one of the great comic character actors in film, Edgar Kennedy, who appeared opposite Laurel and Hardy, Our Gang, The Marx Brothers and other stars of the golden era.

New Books

The Girl on the Balcony - Memoir by Olivia Hussey

By Olivia Hussey

Olivia Hussey, forever immortalized as the definitive Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet, provides readers with a captivating look inside her life in Hollywood through her remarkable, and sometimes tumultuous, career and personal life.

Born in Argentina, Hussey, at the young age of 15, was cast in the role of a life-time by acclaimed director Franco Zeffirelli. With the international spotlight thrust upon her, stardom proved to be the more challenging part for her to conquer.

Her candid memoir--written with her son, Alexander Martin, child of Dean Paul (Dino) Martin and grandchild of Dean Martin--takes readers on an emotional journey through her many challenges and blessings. Highlights include her experience as an "It Girl" in swinging 1960s London; her enduring friendship with her Romeo and Juliet co-star, Leonard Whiting; three tumultuous marriages; her inspirational fight through stage-four breast cancer; debilitating agoraphobia; bankruptcy; and ultimately a journey of self-discovery in India that led her on a path to fulfillment.

Her stories take readers up close to the age-defining figures she knew well--The Beatles, Vanessa Redgrave, Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Anthony Perkins, Christopher Reeve, Sir Laurence Olivier, Ingrid Bergman and more--revealing intimate details, startling facts and bizarre coincidences. Hussey also reveals, for the first time, the identity of the actor and fellow newcomer who raped her but would not break her.

"My mother has lived a remarkable life. Growing up, I saw, first hand, the slings and arrows of her daily life, but I was aware there was so much more to know. So, we began to talk," said Alexander Martin, co-author of The Girl on the Balcony. "Through our two-year conversation, I was able to piece together her extraordinary story. I came to understand her and, ultimately, to admire her. It was so moving."

"Writing this memoir with my talented son has been one of my greatest joys," said Olivia Hussey. "Putting my story on paper required the perfect partner and Alexander exceeded my expectations."

Olivia Hussey
At 15 years old, Olivia Hussey made her undeniable mark in modern-day cinema as Juliet--one of the most celebrated roles ever written. A seasoned veteran of the London stage, Hussey debuted opposite Vanessa Redgrave in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. She has appeared in more than two dozen films, including Death on the Nile with Bette Davis and Peter Ustinov; Jesus of Nazareth (where she reunited with Zeffirelli); The Last Days of Pompeii, opposite Sir Laurence Olivier; Lost Horizon; The Bastard; Hallmark Hall of Fame's Ivanhoe with James Mason; Showtime's Psycho IV: The Beginning and Steven King's IT.
Visit Olivia online at www.OliviaHussey.com

Alexander Martin grew up in Los Angeles, California. After attending the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama in London, England, he returned to Los Angeles with the intention of taking up the family business. Working as both an actor and writer, he appeared in the films Can't Hardly Wait, 21, Three Priests, and Josie and the Pussycats. A little over two years ago, while he was beginning work on his first book, his mother called and asked if he would help her with her memoir--it was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. He now lives in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico with his wife and son.

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Must-See Sci-Fi: 50 Movies That Are Out of This World

Spanning nine decades and branded by the most trusted authority on film, Turner Classic Movies: Must-See Sci-Fi showcases 50 of the most shocking, weird, wonderful, and mind-bending movies ever made.

From A Trip to the Moon (1902) to Arrival (2016), science fiction cinema has produced a body of classics with a broader range of styles, stories, and subject matter than perhaps any other film genre. They are movies that embed themselves in the depths of the mind, coloring our view of day-to-day reality and probably fueling a few dreams (and nightmares) along the way.

In Turner Classic Movies: Must-See Sci-Fi, fifty unforgettable films are profiled, including beloved favorites like The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and Fantastic Voyage (1966), groundbreaking shockers like Planet of the Apes (1968) and Alien (1979), and lesser-known landmarks like Things to Come (1936) and Solaris (1972). Illustrated by astounding color and black-and-white images, the book presents the best of this mind-bending genre, detailing through insightful commentary and behind-the-scenes stories why each film remains essential viewing. A perfect gift for any film buff or sci-fi fanatic!

Sloan De Forest is a writer, actor, and film historian who has written about film for Sony, Time Warner Cable, the Mary Pickford Foundation, and Bright Lights Film Journal. She has contributed essays to the books Natalie Wood: Reflections on a Legendary Life by Manoah Bowman and Grace Kelly: Hollywood Dream Girl by Jay Jorgensen and Manoah Bowman. She lives in Hollywood-mentally, spiritually, and geographically.

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Hooked on Hollywood: Discoveries from a Lifetime of Film Fandom

by Leonard Maltin

Leonard Maltin is one of the world's most respected film critics and historians. From his thirty-year tenure on the hit TV show Entertainment Tonight to his annual paperback reference work Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide (and its companion volume, Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide), Maltin stands without equal as a thought leader on Hollywood's past and present.

On July 2, 2018, Maltin - a New York Times bestselling author several times over with over 7 millions books sold - will release a gorgeously produced 400-plus page trade paperback, HOOKED ON HOLLYWOOD: Discoveries from a Lifetime of Film Fandom. This newest work of Maltin's will be released by GoodKnight Books, an award-winning boutique American publisher, which in recent years has become well-known for their expertly curated catalog of biographies and non-fiction books about Hollywood's Golden Era (including the 2016 bestseller, Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe by Robert Matzen).

In HOOKED ON HOLLYWOOD, Maltin opens up his vast and illustrious personal archive to take readers on a fascinating journey through film history. A pioneer of "self-publishing," Maltin began interviewing greats of Hollywood as a precocious teenager in 1960s New York City. At only thirteen-years-old he became a regular contributor to the magazines Film Fan Monthly and The 8mm Collector (known today as Classic Images), as well as publishing his own humble journal called Profile - "literally cranked out by a mimeograph machine," he reveals. He has since gone on to enjoy a prolific freelance writing career with regular bylines in publications including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Esquire, Smithsonian, and Playboy magazine (where he served as film critic for six years).

Featuring over 200 rare photos and a veritable treasure trove of never-before-seen material, HOOKED ON HOLLYWOOD is divided into four key sections:

"Hollywood Featurettes" - key feature articles from Maltin's Movie Crazy newsletter are shared for the first time, providing new perspectives on such topics as the masterful soundtrack subtleties of Casablanca and Hollywood's long standing love affair with remakes.

"Later In-Depth Interviews" - where Maltin shares first-hand stories of working with Orson Welles, how Buster Keaton forged a new career for himself in the television era, and what life was like under Louis B. Mayer, Jack Warner, Harry Cohn, and other titans of Tinseltown through seven carefully selected conversation transcripts with some of Hollywood's most significant behind-the-scenes players.

"The Forgotten Studio" - an eye-opening look at RKO Radio Pictures, which gave us such classics as King Kong and the many dance musicals of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Leonard Maltin's love of movies and vast knowledge of their history shines through from HOOKED ON HOLLYWOOD's first page to the last, which is sure to prove as wildly entertaining to readers as it does deeply informative to future film scholars.

Leonard Maltin is one of the world's most respected film critics and historians. He is best known for his widely used reference work, Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide and its companion volume Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide, as well as his thirty-year run on television's Entertainment Tonight. He teaches at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, appears regularly on Turner Classic Movies, and hosts the weekly podcast Maltin on Movies for the Nerdist network with his daughter Jessie. His books include The 151 Best Movies You've Never Seen, Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons, The Great Movie Comedians, The Disney Films, The Art of the Cinematographer, Movie Comedy Teams, The Great American Broadcast, and Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia. He served two terms as President of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, votes for films to be selected for the National Film Registry, and was appointed by the Librarian of Congress to sit on the Board of Directors of the National Film Preservation Foundation. He hosted and co-produced the popular Walt Disney Treasures DVD series and has appeared on innumerable television programs and documentaries. He is the recipient of awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, American Society of Cinematographers, the Telluride Film Festival, George Eastman House, Anthology Film Archives, and San Diego's Comic-Con International. Perhaps the pinnacle of his career was his appearance in a now-classic episode of South Park (or was it Carmela consulting his Movie Guide on an episode of The Sopranos?)

He holds court at www.leonardmaltin.com. Follow him on Twitter (@LeonardMaltin) and Facebook (/LeonardMaltin).

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Herbert Marshall - A Biography

by Scott O'Brien

Herbert Marshall - A Biography (BearManor, 2018) details the unique twists and turns in the career of a man who reluctantly became an actor. "My father was responsible for making me dread the theater," he admitted. After being sacked as an office boy for a London accountant, Bart Marshall (as friends called him) finally followed in his father's footsteps. That is, until King and Country stepped in during WWI. "I was a Lady from Hell," he mused years later. "The London Scottish, a kilted infantry regiment." On the Western Front, shrapnel destroyed Bart's knee. His leg was amputated. What Marshall brought to the screen was rooted in the unforeseen consequences of this traumatic war injury.

Film historian/author Kevin Brownlow (who wrote the book's Foreword) notes how Marshall played subtlety with audiences emotions. Norma Shearer rhapsodized, "The first time I ever saw Mr. Marshall on screen ... I thought I had never seen a lady so thoroughly and convincingly loved." Her sentiments were echoed by Garbo, Dietrich, Colbert, Stanwyck, Crawford, Bette Davis--all clamoring for his service as leading man. Off-screen, Bart was seduced into a scandalous affair with Gloria Swanson. Marshall's forte, as director Edmund Goulding pointed out, was having "the most seductive voice on the screen." Marshall could coax moonlight into champagne for the Lubitsch classic Trouble in Paradise (1932). He was equally adept at stripping away one's sense of security, playing the menace in Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent (1940).

Not to be overlooked is Marshall's dedication helping hundreds of amputees and vets during WWII. He was more candid about himself in these situations, and made a tremendous hit with the men. While Marshall cast his spell on moviegoers, he was adamant about one thing. "I am not a gentleman," he insisted. "To me the term implies artificiality--a studied pose, and I'm damned if I'm artificial!" As the late Robert Osborne aptly stated, "Marshall's personal story is a fascinating one."

Scott O'Brien's biographies on Kay Francis, Virginia Bruce, Ann Harding, Ruth Chatterton, George Brent and Sylvia Sidney made the "Best of the Year" category in various publications. Herbert Marshall - A Biography is illustrated with 170 photos from the actor's private life and professional career.

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DVD Reviews

Dick Dinman Salutes Criterion's DIETRICH & VON STERNBERG IN HOLLYWOOD

DICK DINMAN SALUTES CRITERION'S "DIETRICH & Von STERNBERG IN HOLLYWOOD" COLLECTION (Part One): Classic film fans of the erotically exotic Paramount Pictures collaborations of star Marlene Dietrich and director/photographer Josef Von Sternberg are over the moon about the Criterion Collection's brilliant restorations of all six of their hotblooded and aggressively seductive cinema masterworks together which are supplemented by a phenomenal array of special features and acclaimed writer and film scholar Imogen Sara Smith joins producer/host Dick Dinman as both marvel at the unparalleled depth and scope of this amazing collection.
PLUS: "DICK'S PICKS" are Criterion's KING OF JAZZ, MOONRISE, THE AWFUL TRUTH, and A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH!

The award-winning DICK DINMAN'S DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR is the only show devoted to Golden Age Movie Classics as they become available on DVD and Blu-ray. Your producer/host Dick Dinman includes a generous selection of classic scenes, classic film music and one-on-one interviews with stars, producers, and directors. To hear these as well as other DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR shows please go to www.dvdclassicscorner.com or www.dvdclassicscorner.net.

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Dick Dinman & George Feltenstein are GUN CRAZY!

DICK DINMAN & GEORGE FELTENSTEIN ARE "GUN CRAZY!": Producer/host Dick Dinman and Warner Home Video's Sr. V.P. of Classic & Theatrical Marketing George Feltenstein salute the Blu-ray debut of the certifiable noir masterwork GUN CRAZY as well as the Blu-ray debuts of LES GIRLS (Gene Kelly's final MGM dance delight), Sergio Leone's spectacular THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES and two drastically different Vincente Minnelli CinemaScope and color triumphs: the delightful comedy DESIGNING WOMAN and the intensely dramatic TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN.

The award-winning DICK DINMAN'S DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR is the only show devoted to Golden Age Movie Classics as they become available on DVD and Blu-ray. Your producer/host Dick Dinman includes a generous selection of classic scenes, classic film music and one-on-one interviews with stars, producers, and directors. To hear these as well as other DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR shows please go to www.dvdclassicscorner.com or www.dvdclassicscorner.net.

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DICK DINMAN & GEORGE FELTENSTEIN SALUTE "7 BRIDES FOR 7 BROTHERS" BLU-RAY DEBUT!: For more than a decade passionate fans of the joyous Oscar-winning once-in-a-lifetime musical classic 7 BRIDES FOR 7 BROTHERS have been waiting for the day when this incomparably original and unique certified masterwork would make it's debut on 1080p Blu-ray. Well, fans, that day has finally arrived and your producer/host Dick Dinman and his frequent guest Warner Home Video Sr. V.P. of Classic & Theatrical Marketing George Feltenstein celebrate this momentous occasion while George explains the herculean challenges and obstacles he and his dedicated staff faced in ultimately bringing this happiest of all cinema classics to Blu-ray fruition.

The award-winning DICK DINMAN'S DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR is the only show devoted to Golden Age Movie Classics as they become available on DVD and Blu-ray. Your producer/host Dick Dinman includes a generous selection of classic scenes, classic film music and one-on-one interviews with stars, producers, and directors. To hear these as well as other DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR shows please go to www.dvdclassicscorner.com or www.dvdclassicscorner.net.

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Dick Dinman Salutes the Scott/Boetticher Blu-ray Collection!

DICK DINMAN SALUTES THE SCOTT/BOETTICHER BLU-RAY COLLECTION: British home video label Indicator/Powerhouse has just released FIVE TALL TALES: BUDD BOETTICHER & RANDOLPH SCOTT AT COLUMBIA BLU-RAY COLLECTION and to celebrate this long-awaited occasion legendary western star Randolph Scott is saluted along with the director of seven of Scott's finest cinema classics Budd Boetticher. Dick Dinman's guests are Michael Dante who costarred with Scott in a Boetticher directed western and has some great stories to tell, as well as Senior Vice President In Charge Of Restoration for Sony Pictures Entertainment Grover Crisp who describes the arduous and time-consuming process it took to bring the Scott-Boetticher cinema milestones to home video.

The award-winning DICK DINMAN'S DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR is the only show devoted to Golden Age Movie Classics as they become available on DVD and Blu-ray. Your producer/host Dick Dinman includes a generous selection of classic scenes, classic film music and one-on-one interviews with stars, producers, and directors. To hear these as well as other DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR shows please go to www.dvdclassicscorner.com or www.dvdclassicscorner.net.

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Dick Dinman & Bob Furmanek Survive the Horror of the 3D MAZE!

DICK DINMAN & BOB FURMANEK SURVIVE THE HORROR OF THE 3D "MAZE"!: With their amazingly immersive 4K 3D Blu-ray release of the terror-filled chiller THE MAZE (distributed by Kino Lorber Entertainment) the 3D Film Archive continues their acclaimed tradition of painstakingly restoring the original 50's 3D classics to their visual sensation-inducing brilliance and to celebrate the occasion the 3D Film Archive's head honcho Robert Furmanek rejoins producer/host Dick Dinman with his account of the challenges inherent in restoring not only 3D picture but 3 Channel Stereo Sound to this much requested creep-fest.

The award-winning DICK DINMAN'S DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR is the only show devoted to Golden Age Movie Classics as they become available on DVD and Blu-ray. Your producer/host Dick Dinman includes a generous selection of classic scenes, classic film music and one-on-one interviews with stars, producers, and directors. To hear these as well as other DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR shows please go to www.dvdclassicscorner.com or www.dvdclassicscorner.net.

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Press Release

Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha Screens BACK TO THE FUTURE!

Motion Picture Historian Crawford Bringing the time travel/comedy to Omaha

Film historian Bruce Crawford will be presenting the 1985 classic Back to the Future on Friday, Nov. 9, 2018 at Joslyn Art Museum, 2200 Dodge Street in Omaha. It has become one of the most popular adventure comedies in cinema history and spawned three sequels as well as comic books, video games and much more.

In addition to the special event screening, writer, producer and co-creator of all three Back to the Future films, Bob Gale, will address the audience as well as actor Harry Waters Jr., who played singer Marvin Berry in the film--both will speak before the screening discussing the making of this iconic film. There will also be a meet-and-greet and autograph session for the fans.

This event marks 26 years since Crawford started hosting film legends and the classic films on which they worked. He typically presents two movies each year, spring and autumn.

Tickets to meet and hear Bob Gale and Harry Waters Jr. go on sale Thursday, Oct. 4 for $24 each and can be purchased at the customer service counters of all Omaha-area Hy Vee food stores. Proceeds will benefit the Nebraska Kidney Association.

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Web Reviewer Glenn Erickson Launches 'CineSavant'

Web reviewer Glenn Erickson, aka 'DVD Savant' has established a new home under a new identity, 'CineSavant.' Reviewing independently since 1998, the Savant database has grown to over five thousand reviews and articles, and become one of the most respected and sought-out review pages on the web for news and opinions about classic films on disc. Readership boomed when the page Trailers from Hell picked up Glenn's reviews as featured content in 2015.

A varied background helps add perspective to Glenn's reviews; from the UCLA Film School he worked in special effects, and then moved on to TV commercial work, and trailers for The Cannon Group. A long stint with MGM/UA Home Video led to editing large-scale DVD extras and other special projects. He began writing for the web in 1997 as 'MGM Video Savant.' Working with the film curators at MGM, Glenn helped detect and produced the restoration of the original ending of the film noir classic Kiss Me Deadly. Glenn has published two books of reviews, and has been writing and researching for TCM since 2004.

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TCM Remembers Neil Simon (1927-2018)

Turner Classic Movies pays tribute to Neil Simon on Friday, September 14 with the following festival of films. This program will replace the previously scheduled movies for that night so please take note.

The new schedule for Friday, September 14 will be:8:00pm - The Odd Couple (1968)
10:00pm - The Goodbye Girl (1977)
12:00am - Lost in Yonkers (1993)

Neil Simon passed away on Sunday, August 26 in New York City at the age of 91.

A staff writer on the signature comedy series of television's infancy, "Your Show of Shows" (NBC, 1950-54), Neil Simon went on to establish himself as one of Broadway's most prolific and consistent hit makers. Over the course of four decades, a Simon play or musical opened most seasons on Broadway and were often turned into major motion pictures within a couple of years, including "Barefoot in the Park" (1967), "The Out-of-Towners" (1969), "The Sunshine Boys" (1975) and "California Suite" (1978). Simon also wrote his share of original screenplays, such as the mystery spoof "Murder By Death" (1976) and the charming romantic comedy "Seems Like Old Times" (1980), though it was largely his stage work that earned him his reputation. Perhaps his most enduring creation was "The Odd Couple," which was a play in 1965, a film in 1968 and a television show that ran five seasons starting in 1970, while over the decades popping up in other incarnations. In the 1980s, Simon began a series of semi-autobiographical coming-of-age plays focused on his alleged alter-ego, Eugene Jerome. Dubbed the Eugene Trilogy, the plays consisted of "Brighton Beach Memoirs" (1983), "Biloxi Blues" (1985) and "Broadway Bound" (1986), with the former two being turned into mildly successful feature films. After years as an unbridled hit maker, Simon earned the overwhelming respect of critics with "Lost in Yonkers" (1991), which earned him a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize for drama. Though his success tapered off in his later years, Simon remained the most important playwright of the latter-half of the 20th century.

Born on July 4, 1927 in The Bronx, NY, Simon was raised in Depression-era Washington Heights in northern Manhattan by his father, Irving, a garment salesman, and his mother, Mamie. Because his parents were engaged in a rocky relationship that often threatened to break apart, Simon and his older brother, Danny, were sent to live with one group of relatives or another. His father often left the family for long periods of time, leaving their mother to fend for herself until his return. After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School when he was 16, Simon attended New York University, where he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force Reserve during the waning days of World War II, which led to an assignment at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, CO, where, as a corporal, he began writing for the USAF sports paper, the Rev-Meter. Following a short stint at the University of Denver, Simon moved back to New York, where he spent two years working in the mailroom of the East Coast Warner Bros. offices before quitting to write radio and television scripts with his brother, Danny.

Simon and his brother managed to wrangle an interview with radio comic, Goodman Ace, who hired the sketch writing duo for $200 a week after reading just one of their jokes. Simon partnered with his brother for the next nine years, with the two writing for such radio programs as "The Robert Q. Lewis Show." They soon moved on to television to write for the day's biggest shows, including "The Red Buttons Show" (CBS/NBC, 1952-55), "The Phil Rivers Show" (CBS, 1955-59), and "Your Show of Shows" (NBC, 1950-54), which starred Sid Caesar and featured perhaps the best group of comics ever assembled: Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Carl Reiner and Larry Gelbart. Following his entrée into the theater world with the Broadway revue, "Catch a Star" (1955), which he collaborated on with Danny, he became a staff writer on the sitcom, "Stanley" (NBC, 1956-57), which starred Buddy Hackett as the slovenly proprietor of a hotel lobby newsstand. Eventually, Simon struck out on his own when he wrote his first play, "Come Blow Your Horn" (1961), which told the story of a young man who yearns to leave his parents' home to live at his brother's swinging bachelor pad.

"Come Blow Your Horn" opened on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, where it ran for two years and became a big hit. Simon followed with "Little Me" (1962), which, while not as well-received as his first play, still earned the playwright his first Tony Award nomination. After "Come Blow Your Horn" was adapted in 1963 into a feature film starring Frank Sinatra, Simon had one of the biggest stage hits of his career with "Barefoot in the Park" (1963), a lighthearted comedy focusing on the marriage between a buttoned-down lawyer husband and his free-spirited wife that played on Broadway for over 1,500 performances, making it one of the longest-running non-musicals in the history of the Great White Way. The play was turned into a successful 1967 film starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. Meanwhile, his brother had gone through a divorce and was living with another divorced man, which sparked the idea for what eventually became "The Odd Couple" (1965). After several attempts to write the idea, Danny threw the idea over to Simon, who turned the comedy about a freakishly neat newspaper writer thrown out by his wife and forced to move in with a slovenly sportswriter into a Broadway smash that ran for over 900 performances and earned several Tony Awards, including Best Play.

As with many of Simon's plays, "The Odd Couple" was adapted for the big screen in 1968, and starred Jack Lemmon as the fastidious Felix Unger and Walter Matthau, reprising his original Broadway role, as the slob Oscar Madison. Possibly one of the best feature adaptations of his stage work, the highly successful movie earned several award nominations, including Simon's first for an Academy Award. During this time, he churned out stage plays like "The Star-Spangled Girl" (1966), "Plaza Suite" (1968) and "The Last of the Red Hot Lovers" (1969), which continued his string of critical and financial hits. The following year, "The Odd Couple" was spun off to the small screen, where it spent five seasons on ABC with Tony Randall as Felix and Jack Klugman as Oscar. Meanwhile, he wrote the play to perhaps his second-best remembered stage production, "The Sunshine Boys" (1972), which focused on two aging vaudevillians forced back together after growing to hate each other for a television reunion. Following another Tony Award win for Best Play, the production was adapted into a critically acclaimed 1975 film starring Walter Matthau and George Burns; the latter of whom won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

With his career at an all-time high, there seemed to be nothing that could bring Simon down. But in 1973, his wife of 20 years, Joan Baim, died after a prolonged battle with cancer. The agonizing 15 months of watching his wife slowly slip away left the playwright empty and devastated. Four months later, however, Simon shocked friends and colleagues when he married actress Marsha Mason following a brief courtship. He continued writing successful plays like "The Good Doctor" (1973), "California Suite" (1976) and "Chapter Two" (1977) while scripting original screenplays like "Murder By Death" (1976), a spoof on whodunit mysteries that featured Truman Capote as a wealthy recluse named Lionel Twain, who lures top private detectives (an all-star cast of Peter Sellers, Peter Falk, David Niven, Maggie Smith and James Coco) to his secluded mansion to solve a murder that's about to be committed. He next wrote the original screenplay for "The Goodbye Girl" (1977), an adult romantic comedy about a divorced mother and ex-Broadway dancer (Marsha Mason) engaged in a romance with an arrogant actor (Richard Dreyfuss) whose career is nearly ruined by a myopic director (Paul Benedict). Dreyfuss went on to win the Best Actor Oscar for his winning, wacky performance.

Returning to adaptations of his own work, Simon wrote the scripts for the screen treatments of "California Suite" (1978) and "Chapter Two" (1979), while writing the script for the comedy spoof "The Cheap Detective" (1978), starring Peter Falk, the book for the musical "They're Playing Our Song" (1979), and the stage play for "I Ought to Be in Pictures" (1980), which he turned into a feature starring Walter Matthau and Ann-Margaret in 1982. Simon next wrote the original screenplay for the feature comedy, "Seems Like Old Times" (1980), which starred Chevy Chase as a down-on-his-luck writer who seeks refuge from a pair of bank robbers at the home of his ex-wife (Goldie Hawn), only to run afoul of her new stuffed-shirt husband (Charles Grodin). Following his lighthearted romantic comedy, "Fools" (1981), which was directed for Broadway by longtime collaborator Mike Nichols, Simon adapted his play "The Gingerbread Lady" (1970) into the film "Only When I Laugh" (1981), which again starred wife Marsha Mason. Simon next wrote the play to "Brighton Beach Memoires" (1983), a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age comedy about a young Jewish teenager who experiences puberty and has a sexual awakening while trying to deal with his struggling family. The play was turned into a mildly popular film in 1986 starring Jonathan Silverman as Simon's alter-ego, Eugene Jerome.

Simon returned to the stage with the more popular "Biloxi Blues" (1985), the second installment to what became known as the Eugene Trilogy. This time, the young Jewish kid from Brooklyn enlists in the Army and is sent to Biloxi, MS for basic training, where he falls in love, loses his virginity and runs afoul of an offbeat drill sergeant. In 1988, the play was adapted into a well-received film starring Matthew Broderick as Eugene and Christopher Walken as Sgt. Toomey. In 1983, Simon suffered another personal setback - albeit one not as tragic as losing Joan - when he divorced actress Marsha Mason following 10 years of marriage. Despite the split, the two remained friends and continued working together. Meanwhile, he reimagined "The Odd Couple" as "The Female Odd Couple" (1985), which was staged on Broadway with Sally Struthers and Rita Moreno in the leads. Simon rounded out his Eugene Trilogy with "Broadway Bound" (1986), which followed Eugene and his brother Stanley - obvious doubles for Simon and his own brother Danny - as they try to make it as comedy writers on radio and television. Unlike the previous two installments, however, "Broadway Bound" was not immediately adapted into a feature film or even television movie - the rare Simon play not to make such a transformation.

During this time, Simon remarried once again, this time to Diane Lander, a former employee at the Beverly Hills department store, Neiman Marcus. Their relationship proved to be a rocky one, ending in divorce in 1988 following 18 months of marriage, only to reunite in early 1990. Though they again filed for divorce two years later, the couple reconciled until finally splitting for good in 1998. Though asked on several occasions, Simon had been remiss to talk about his relationship with her; even going so far as to not draw from their experiences in his work - a shock given his mining of all other areas of his life. Meanwhile, he wrote the farce "Rumors" (1988) for the stage before achieving massive popular and critical success with "Lost in Yonkers" (1991), a coming-of-age drama about two brothers left in the care of their intimidating grandmother who also houses the mentally deficient, but good-hearted Aunt Bella (Mercedes Ruehl). Simon's difficult tale of family dysfunction won several awards, including a Tony for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. After returning to the world of "Your Show of Shows" for a Broadway production of "Laughter on the 23rd Floor" (1993), he cited the high cost of producing plays on the Great White Way, controversially insisting that "London Suite" (1994) be produced off-Broadway.

After penning a television version of his 1992 play "Jake's Women" (CBS, 1996), Simon wrote his 30th stage production, "Proposals" (1997), which opened on Broadway, but quickly closed, proving to be one of his least successful stage efforts. On the flip side, a revival of "The Sunshine Boys" enjoyed a much longer run thanks to the popularity of stars Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. Meanwhile, Simon's feature output fell off following the box-office failure of "The Marrying Man" (1991) and "Neil Simon's 'Lost in Yonkers'" (1993), causing the writer to turn to the small screen with "Neil Simon's 'London Suite'" (NBC, 1996), with a cast that included Kelsey Grammer, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Richard Mulligan, and a misguided "The Sunshine Boys" (CBS, 1997), which was filmed in 1995 with Peter Falk and Woody Allen. His return to the big screen with the sequel "The Odd Couple II" (1998) sank at the box office despite the presence of the original actors, Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. Later that year, a remake of "The-Out-of-Towners" (1998), starred Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn in the roles originated in 1970 by Lemmon and Sandy Dennis.

Turning to the publishing world, Simon wrote his memoirs in two parts, starting with Neil Simon Writes: A Memoir (1996); he followed with part two a few years later, Neil Simon The Play Goes On: A Memoir (1999). In his later years, Simon's stage work also began taking a hit with critics, though he found mild success with "The Dinner Party" (2000), starring John Ritter and Henry Winkler. After "45 Seconds from Broadway" (2001), which lasted just a few months, he revamped his two most famous characters for "Oscar and Felix: A New Look at the Odd Couple" (2002), which starred John Larroquette as Oscar and Joe Regalbuto as Felix, followed by his staging of "Rose's Dilemma" (2003) off-Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club. Also later in his career, his plays found new life on television with "Laughter on the 23rd Floor" (Showtime, 2001) and "The Goodbye Girl" (TNT, 2004) being adapted for the small screen.

(Biographical data courtesy of TCMDb)

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Hammer Horror: A Frankenstein Septet at MoMA in New York, Oct. 12-18

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, published in 1818, has inspired hundreds of films; in 1910 Thomas Edison produced the first cinematic version in his Bronx studio, starring Charles Stanton Ogle as the monster. Hollywood audiences fell in love with Frankenstein after the 1931 Universal Pictures version, featuring Boris Karloff's iconic block-headed, neck-bolted creature and the hysterical doctor's spectacular laboratory of tesla coils and steam-spewing equipment, all in glorious black and white.

In 1957, the British production company Hammer Films produced the first of its seven Frankenstein films, which focused more on the Gothic aspects of the book and the obsession, ambition, and guilt of the doctor (usually played by Peter Cushing). These films overflow with mournful music, overwrought Victorian décor and costumes, lusty characters, and decidedly more disfigured, wrathful monsters--all amplified by a highly artificial, gruesome color palette that makes even a glimpse of blood into a horrifying experience.

Hammer Horror: A Frankenstein Septet is presented in conjunction with It's Alive! Frankenstein at 200, a visual history of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, at The Morgan Library and Museum October 12, 2018-January 27, 2019.

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THE LION IN WINTER screening - 10/27 at Lake Placid Film Festival in NY

The Adirondack Film Society is proud to announce a special guest appearance by TCM contributor and author, Jeremy Arnold as part of the 2018 Lake Placid Film Festival, scheduled for October 26-28 in Lake Placid, NY.

For the program, Jeremy has selected "The Lion in Winter", celebrating it's 50 Anniversary this year. He will introduce the film providing insights and observations about this landmark work featuring Peter O'Toole, Katherine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton, and why this "essential" film "matters". Jeremy is the author of "The Essentials: 52 Must-See Movies and Why They Matter", published in 2016 as the companion to TCM's Essentials series. "It is certainly essential, and it has been shown on Turner Classic Movies as part of the "Essentials" series, but it's also one of thirty classic films I profile in my new TCM book, "Christmas in the Movies: 30 Classics to Celebrate the Season.", comments Jeremy. "It's not usually thought of as a "Christmas film," but if you look at it through that prism, it certainly fits. It has one of the most common Christmas-movie plots: a dysfunctional family reuniting over the holiday period. It doesn't matter that it's also a historical drama set in France -- a period piece with period costumes. At heart, it's about family tensions, which the holiday season only exacerbates." "We are thrilled with this year's classic film choice by Jeremy," comments Adirondack Film Society Vice Chairman, Nelson Page. He continues, "The Lion in Winter" is one of those films that they just don't make any more. The actors have amazing chemistry on screen, where each performance shines and the dialogue crackles with unusual intensity. Not only is this film an "Essential", but a must see. Jeremy has made a wonderful programming choice which reflects how great films were made and why they are timeless."

Jeremy is a son of Lake Placid, so it is more like a homecoming for all of us. In a recent interview, when asked why he keeps coming back to our event, he told Nelson "I've spent at least part of every summer of my life in Lake Placid, and trips to the Palace Theater are indelible memories. There's something very American about the way the theater marquee dominates Main Street; it makes going there feel like you're venturing to the center of the community in a way, and that movies are physically bringing people together. It sure says something that Lake Placid still even has its jewel of a theater. Most towns of this size don't anymore, and that reflects the area's affection for movies, that residents have been eager to keep supporting the Palace over the decades. Finally, I enjoy the diverse offerings at each year's film festival: new features, documentaries, classics, shorts. As an avid filmgoer, I want it all!"

The Lake Placid Film Festival will offer another classic "The Heiress" (1949), directed by academy award winner, William Wyler. Our fest goers are in for a real treat at 6:30 Friday night, October 26th at the Palace Theatre. William Wyler's daughter and independent producer of film and television, Catherine Wyler will introduce the film and be joined by Kathleen Carroll, Artistic Director of the Lake Placid Film Festival for a conversation with the audience following the screening. Kathleen will be honored at a "Tribute Gala" presented by the Adirondack Film Society on Thursday, October 25th at the High Peaks Resort, Lake Placid at 6:00pm, for her invaluable direction and contributions to our organization since 2000.

If you are a lover of classic films, you will want to learn even more in Jeremy's books, DVD commentaries or by tuning in to TCM's streaming service, FilmStruck. Also, make sure you tune in the first weekend of this December to TCM as Jeremy will present four Christmas movies from his new book.

We invite everyone to join us for Jeremy's special presentation of "The Lion in Winter", which will kick-off our Saturday evening at the Palace Theatre, October 27th at 6:30pm. In addition to the introduction, he will host a Q&A following the film. Jeremy has become an annual favorite for festival audiences. For additional information please visit
www.lakeplacidfilmfestival.org.